Light for the Poorest

Light for the PoorestBottle trick lights of Manila slumsReports from ManilaWhere the government fails, there is room for enterprising businessmen. A Filipino ex-actor brings his compatriots in the slums of Manila light into the miserable huts. Method: Take a plastic bottle, water and bleach.
Demi Bukas pride shows on the plastic bottle in the roof of his hut. "I have it installed itself," he says. He has also installed nearly 6,000 other bottles in his neighborhood. Bukas lives in a slum in Manila, the capital of the Philippines. Actually, the 47-year-old carpenter, but since March he brings to light an unusual way into the kitchens and living rooms of the poorest of the poor.A third of the approximately 100 million Filipinos now living below the poverty line. The average family income is below 300 euros a month. Until the sixties were the Philippines to Japan, the second richest country in Asia. But while countries such as Thailand or South Korea the tiger economies, Singapore and Taiwan are economically developed, seeped much of the revenue from trade and industry in the Philippines in the network of ubiquitous corruption. Poverty is exacerbated by exploding populations: In half a century has doubled the number of Filipinos. About 50 percent of whom are under 25 years old. In Manila alone, one quarter of residents in informal settlements or slums.As Dime Bukas. He lives in San Pedro, south of the metropolitan region, far from shopping malls and upmarket boutiques. In a 40-square-foot shack he lives with six family members. In front of the house running rails. This will be transported by hand carts to the huts, what is needed. Since March of this year, more and more raw materials for the construction of solar-bottle lamps.Bukas builds the bottles together in the entrance area of ​​his small hut. The process is simple: a one-liter plastic bottle filled with water and a small amount of bleach. It is then inserted into a hole in a 20 x 20 centimeter piece of corrugated iron. A small spider, which serves as a barb, preventing the bottle slip through the sheet. The construction is sealed with a bit of rubber - and the solar-finished bottle lamp. Through a small hole in the roof it is left inside the cabin. The sun shines on the outside of the bottle, she shines like a light bulb. Because water breaks light rays differently than air, the light scatters in all directions.The community paysDime has since begun Bukas, bottles to be installed in cabins, with orders he can hardly save. Every day, he screwed together 70 bottles. "People come to Dime and immediately want to have installed a bottle," says Norvic Solidum. The little bearded man is a vice-mayor of the municipality of San Vicente, which includes the slum, living in the Dime Bukas. Solidum attaches great importance to ensuring that it is he who pays the material and the installation of solar-bottle lamp. Strictly speaking, it is the church. So clearly and unequivocally says he's not happy though. For the slum dwellers do not care. What matters to them: You only need to bring a plastic bottle. The rest of the materials will be provided.About a hundred meters from Dime Bukas' corrugated iron shack Virginia Mercado lives in a similar hut. The wife is very happy with her lamp. If they could, they would "install one or two" yet, she says. Behind her small sari-sari store, a Philippine newspaper stand, a solar-lit bottle lamp her living room. "The lamp is lit even when the moon shines," said Virginia Mercado. "This is not just a solar, but also a lunar Bottle Lamp."Invented in BrazilThe idea of ​​using solar-bottle-lamp Illac Diaz had in Manila. The 39-year-old is focused on social enterprises. During his studies, he built schools in cities from plastic bottles, on the land he used bamboo. "We use what is available," says Diaz.What Diaz now in Manila makes it so popular, in 2002 invented the Brazilian Alfredo Moser. During a power outage, he came up with the idea in the ceiling of his work involved hall plastic bottles."Isang Litrong Liwanga" - "One liter of light" - is the name of the project, which provides in the Philippines for enthusiasm. Triggered it has established the foundation of MyShelter Diaz. By the end of 2012, the former actor equip one million people in the Philippines with solar-bottle lamps. "If it continues at this pace, then we have already achieved the million the middle of next year," he says.In the garbage dumps of Manila, there are plenty of plastic bottles. "What could be more natural than to use it for lighting the slums," said Diaz. Even the power companies in the country to support the project.Interested parties are from anywhere in the world at Illac Diaz and his foundation in line. In South Africa, Vietnam and other countries with lots of sun, the solar-bottle lamps will soon brighten kitchens and living rooms. The Philippines to serve as a pilot.Solar Lamp Bottle 2.0The solar lamps bottles will also create jobs and give slum dwellers the chance to escape poverty. In Manila, have been the first company specialized in installing these lights.Dime Bukas also able to build up an existence with the technology. 40 pesos, or around 65 euro cents, he gets fitted for each bottle. 4000 he still wants to install by the end of the year. Next year it will install then perhaps a new model. Because Illac Diaz already experimented with LEDs, batteries and small solar cells that are to be integrated into the bottle. Then, from the solar lamp is a real bottle-Lunar-bottle-lamp that lights at night.

GMA TV News

The GMA TV News team is here in Heavens Rock to make a report about the Restaurant and that nice view what you can enjoy from here in the Heavens Rock Mountain Restaurant in Alcantara Cebu Philippines. I write later more about that.

Living life and in the Philippines

I can always asked how to live in the Philippines and what it would cost. What is just as startup capital needs and what the monthly costs are like that. Visa questions later on I will not even take the part of the general cost of living. I differentiate here for the first time of living in the city and live in the seclusion of a small island. The cost of home range are of course also depends on the choice and the whole city
personal luxury of thinking. There are houses to rent from approx 6000 peso which I think is reasonable for little less than 10,000 pesos which is roughly 140 €. For this you get it often houses with beautiful gardens and approximately 80-130 square meters of living space. The pool is expected to be found because they rarely meet one of the luxury of a people like the poor of the Philippines will be built from rare. The houses themselves but they should not make too great demands. They are usually uncomplicated, and often lack all the luxuries. There may of course also big villas but are usually only buy and sell it not as a foreigner. There will be a familiar but always strange constructs as they say, with tricks even as foreigners bought property but I can usually each of these constructs, the one flaw you can always bring your money. And frivolous to have confidence in a country man, I certainly would not. I know at least four of them live only German German to take off. Usually being very strange collateral being offered. Here I can only warn when there are any shops at the same time, the lawyer contracts and ownership of the partner just to look at. But the only way.

The cost for dinner, I guess if you care about yourself on 250-350 pesos per person per day.
Here I put the following at the market prices are common on the island are based. And I always give a price per kilo.

Beef 150 pesos
Pork 130 pesos
Fish 80-130 pesos depending on weather conditions and offer
Rice 35-45 peso
Carrots 80 pesos
Potatoes 80 pesos
Pineapple 30 per piece
10-25 apples per piece
Mandarin 5 peso per piece
Grapes 550 pesos
Oranges usually poor quality
Mangos 55 Peso
Watermelon 30 peso

On this occasion I would also like more then go to the quality of the food is in my eyes is significantly higher than in Germany. A steak is here as only slightly less in the pan and has also previously not usually this immense proportions as they have achieved in recent years in Germany. The fruit has ever bruises but it is not usually injected. The fish is freshly caught and has no muscle meat as the cultured in Europe. Only the pigs have eaten here for every drop. Nevertheless, the meat always tastes better. My personal opinion is to eat healthier and this is just usually tastes better too.